1. Field
Although not so limited in its utility or scope, implementations of the present invention are particularly well suited for the selective illumination of regions of interests within a dental patient's mouth or the delivery of light energy to a dental-curing site in a patient's mouth, and, more particularly, to unbent light-transmissive elements adapted for the emission of light energy at any of various predetermined angles relative to the longitudinal axis of the light-conductive element.
2. Brief Description of Illustrative Environments and Related Art
Elongated light-conductive elements are applied to various applications in which remote, difficult-to-access regions require illumination or the delivery of electromagnetic energy for purposes other than illumination (e.g., photochemical curing). One field in which elongated light-conductive elements find use is the dental industry. More specifically, light-conductive elements are used to illuminate remote teeth and gums to facilitate drilling, filling, dental surgery and bleaching. Moreover, various bonding materials used in dentistry are photochemically cured by the delivery of light of an appropriate wavelength to the area to be bonded.
Currently, light-conductive elements exhibiting total internal reflection are used in the dental industry. Some such devices comprise single-element, light-conductive rods, while others comprise fused bundles of plural optical fibers. These devices typically include an elongated body having a first light-input end and a second light-emitting end opposite the light-input end. A typical dentist has a set of light conductive elements, each of which is selectively coupleable with a light-generating base, to accommodate the delivery of electromagnetic energy to different regions of interest within a patient's mouth. Alternative examples of light-generating bases include (i) a handle for retaining a light-conductive element and internally retaining a light-generating element and (ii) a handle that selectively retains a light conductive element and is optically connected to a unit, other than the handle, that houses a light-generating element, wherein the optical connection is provided, for example, through a flexible optical fiber bundle. A generic light-generating base and illustrative light-conductive elements for alternative use therewith are depicted in FIGS. A through Aiv. As shown, the various elements of a set may be characterized by different angles of emission relative to the propagation axis of the input energy. Light emission at various angles is facilitated by bent and/or curved optical rods. Some rods are straight while others may include bends of 30, 45, 60 or 90 degrees, for example. As known to those skilled in the art of optical fiber component manufacturing, for example, the fabrication of bent optical rods is substantially more expensive than the fabrication of straight rods, for instance. The cost of fabricating bent rods of various angles is passed on to the dental professional and, ultimately, the patient or patients' insurers.
A second general type of illumination tool currently used by dental professionals is represented in FIG. B and includes an extension arm having opposed base and distal ends. The base end is selectively connectable to a base that serves as a handle and either includes an internally-contained source of electrical power (e.g., a battery) or is selectively connectable to a source of electrical power external to the base. The distal end of the extension arm includes a light-generating device such as an LED or light bulb and the extension arm houses electrical conduits (e.g., wires) for including the light-generating device in an electrical circuit that can be selectively opened and closed by a switch in the handle to alternatively shut down and illuminate the light-generating device. These types of dental illumination tools require the dental professional to possess variously configured extension arms, each of which extension arms includes its own light-generating device and set of electrodes for coupling with the power-supplying handle. Moreover, although these illumination tools are generally low-power devices, the inclusion of the light-generating device at the distal end of an extension arm necessarily involves introducing a portion of the electrical circuit into a patient's mouth. Accordingly, the extension arm, and the portion of the circuitry contained therein must endure autoclaving procedures after use. Moreover, dental illumination tools in which a single light-generating element is relied upon to alternatively deliver light through any of various conduits, such as the illumination tools of the first type previously discussed, are decidedly advantageous from a maintenance perspective relative to illumination tools of the second type.
Accordingly, there exists a need for less costly elongated, light-conductive elements adaptable for use in dental applications. More specifically, there exists a need for light-conductive elements that can distribute light at various predetermined angles without requiring the fabrication of multiple bent light-conductive elements.